Rocking bed web printing press



Jan. 7, 1941. CQX 2,227,877

ROCKING BED WEB PRINTING PRESS Filed Sept. 26, 1939 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 7, 1941.v P. F. cox

ROCKING BED WEB PRINTING PRESS Filed Sept. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 7, 1941. P. F. cox

ROCKING BED WEB PRINTING PRESS Filed Sept. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 W a M W W D m Nu m Q m H Q 5% QQ Em E Jan.'7, 1941. cox

ROCKING BED WEB PRINTING PRESS Filed Sept. 26, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan. 7, 1941. P. F.'cox 1 2,227,877

ROCKING BED WEB PRINTING PRESS I Filed Sept.. 26, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES omcr.

24 Claims.

This invention is an improvement in bed and cylinder web presses employing one or more novel units. Each unit has a rocking oscillating bed with preferably flat form-bearing surfaces; with the bed cooperates an impression cylinderwhichin the preferred form can raise and lower to maintain impression contact with flat forms on the bed during the oscillation of the bed. The bed is preferably mounted on a rocking frame, which is pivoted at bottom and. oscillated by pitman connected to crank pins on gears on the main driving sha'ft. Means are provided for throwing 01f impression, preferably by raising the cylinder, at the end of the printingoperation of the i5 bed, and holding it off impression during the return non-printing stroke of the bed. Preferably web feeding cylinders are mounted above the impression cylinder, in the present preferred form of press, and their weight assists in holding the impression cylinder down upon the bed bearers; said cylinders may serve both as feeding and cutting cylinders, and can deliver the severed printed sheets to a bolder.

On the shaft carryingthe crank gears may be mounted the web in-feed r011. The web may be led in from a supply roll at one end of press, and is fed in continuously during the operation of the press by the in-feed roll and then looped under a slack take-up roller. During the taking of an impression the web is moved between the bed and impression cylinder and fed'out by the delivery cylinders about twice as fast as it is fed in. The web is stopped between the feed roll and the delivery cylinders during the return non-printing stroke of the bed, during which time the impression is thrown off, preferably by raising the impression cylinder. The impression is thrown on at the beginning of the printing operation of the bed. 40 In the present preferred type of machine the flat bed in its rocking movements raises and lowers the impression cylinder, which is in contact with the forms on the bed during the taking of impressions; and the impression pressure is provided by the weight of the impression cylinder plus the weight of the feed =cylinders arranged above and supported by the impression cylinder. f 1 f One important feature of the invention is that 50 the impression cylinder rises and falls in accordance with the variation in pitch ,of the bed 'during its rocking movementsythe bedbeing flat the cylinder maintains impression contact therewith during printing by dropping and rising in 55 accordance with the changing distance between the point of impression contact and the pivot of the bed supporting member. The weight of the cylinders will provide ample impression pressure, and the cutting cylinders can move up and down with the impression cylinder. 5

Novel features of the invention may be embodied in a variety of forms of press. In the drawings I have shown a perfecting press having two beds and two impression cylinders capabl'e of printing a. large paper; and also a one bed 10 and cylinder perfecting press capable of printing a smaller paper; but I do not consider the invention restricted to the particular embodiments shown, as those familiar with the art will be able to utilize the invention in other variations of construction when the invention is understood by them.

To enable those familiar with the art to understand the invention I will explain it in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate two practical embodiments thereof. And in the claims I have summarized the essential-s of the invention and novel features of construction and novel combination of parts for which protection is desired.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a two unit web perfecting printing press embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of said press.

ensuring register of the cylinder gear and rack when the cylinder is thrown on impression.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a single unit press with web deflecting devices to enable a narrow web to be perfected by one bed and cylinder.

Fig. 7 is a reduced diagrammatic top plan view of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a View of part of a unit having the bed curved instead of flat.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating how two sets of forms may be employed on bed.

Fig. 10 is a detail View of the impression cyllinder lifting devices.

The press shown in Fig. 1 has two substantially duplicate printing units A and B adjacent opposite ends of the main frame 20 in whi-chth'e operative parts .are mounted. As the printing units are constructed alike a description of one will explain both, similar parts being similarly lettered in the drawings.

Each press bed I is preferably flat and adapted lower end on a shaft pression.

to carry flat forms of type or other printing surfaces. The bed is mounted on the upper end of a rocking frame la which is pivoted at its lbmounted in the side frames of the press. The support I a has pins Ic on its sides that project through openings in the side frames of the press and are connected by pitman Id to crank pins Ie on gears 2a mounted on a shaft 2 journaled in the main frame. The gears 2a (Fig. 1) at same side of press mesh, and one gear 211 meshes with a pinion 3a on a through shaft 3 that may be driven by any suitable means. As shown it has a pulley 31) on one end which can be belted to a motor, not shown. When the press is in operation the beds will be rocked back and forth by the described means, but I do not consider the invention limited to the particular bed rocking means shown.

With the bed I cooperates an impression cylinder 4 which is mounted in boxes 4a that are preferably vertically movable in guides 2! on the side frames of the press. The impression cylinder has bearers 410 that run on bearers lie on the bed (see Fig. 3) and on one end the cylinder has a gear 4m which meshes during the taking of impressions with a rack Im on the bed. To throw off and on impression the cylinder 4 is preferably raised off impression, and out of mesh with the bed rack, during the return non-printing stroke of bed, and is lowered on impression just before the beginning of the printing operation on the printing stroke of the bed.

As the bed rocks and does not drop on its nonprinting stroke the impression cylinder will lower and rise during the printing stroke of the bed. If there is more weight on the cylinder than is necessary to take an impression from the type form, such excess weight will be held off of the type form by the bearers on the press bed. If more impression is wanted the cylinder can be packed for impression, or the bed bearers can be raised or lowered to insure proper impression by placing thin shims'under the bearers or removing the shims. As the cylinder rides on the bed bearers there could be no "more weight-on the forms than is necessary to take an impres- The impression cylinder is stationary during the return stroke of the bed and while off im- The impression throw off and on may be accomplished in various well known ways. Also the stoppage of the impression cylinder could be accomplished in various well "known ways, as by mounting gear 4m loosely on the cylinder 4 and providing means to lock'it to the cylinder on the printing stroke of bed and disengage it from the cylinder on the non-printing stroke of the bed. In the construction shown a cam lever 5 is journaled asat 5a on the frame v2i! and one end extends under the box 40. while its other end is connected to a rod 5b'which e-X- tends to shaft 2 and has a pin 50 engaging a race cam groove 5d which may be formed in the face of the adjacent gear 2a, but is preferably formed in a disk 5e fastened to said gear or shaft 2 (see Fig. 3). -The cam" is so formed and the parts so adjusted thatjust before beginning printing on the printing stroke of the bed the impression cylinder will be lowered or thrown on impression; and at the end of the printing operation the cylinder will be raised or thrown off impression and remains so until the bed has made its return nonprinting stroke. In the construction shown in Fig. l the eccentrics are made of sufficient size and throw to raise the impression cylinder sufiiciently to disengage gear 4m from the bed rack Im at the end of the printing stroke and during the return stroke of the bed, and then to lower the cylinder to reengage gear 4m with rack Im, at or before the beginning of the next printing operation. The cam groove 511 is so formed that the lever 5 will raise the cylinder 4 sufficiently to keep it out of mesh with the bed rack during the return stroke of the bed. If desired the cylinder may be provided on one end with a notched plate 4| (Fig. 4) adapted to be engaged by a tooth 43 on the end of a bar 44 pivoted to the adjacent end of the bed support (see Figs. 4 and 5) and normally yieldingly held against the support by a spring 45. The tooth 43 engages the notched plate 4| as the cylinder comes to a stop at the end of 'a printing operation and the tooth keeps the cylinder from rotating while it is being raised out of mesh with the bed rack. Preferably a fixed lug 200: (Fig. 4.) on the side frame 20 en gages the pivoted bar 44 which carries tooth 43 when a printing operation has been completed, and lug 20a: holds bar 44 in substantially -fixed position while the bed is travelling further in the same direction to allow the fullform to'be inked.

During initial returning movement of the bed, the cylinder gear 4m is raised out of mesh with the bed rack lm and thenotched plate 4| out of mesh with tooth 43, and spring 45 returns bar 44 to normal position shown in Fig. 4. At the end of the return stroke of the bed a tooth 42 on the bed support comes opposite the notched plate 4! and engages therewith while the cylinder is being lowered into mesh with the 'bed rack I'm. These devices assist in preventing overrunning of the cylinder and in ensuring'proper mesh of the cylinder'gear 4m and-bed rack hit. I do not however 'consider them indisp'ensib-le.

In the press shown in Fig. 1, 'a'pair of web feeding cylindersB and 1 are shown each above the impression cylinder. The: cylinder 6 has its journals in boxes 6a slidably mounted in the guides 2| above cylinder 4, and cylinder 1 has its journals in boxes 1a slidab ly mounted in guides 2| above cylinder'li. Cylinder B has bearers 6k (Fig. 3) running on the bearers 470 of cylinder 4,'and cylinder I has'bearers 1k running on the bearers ofcylinder-li. Cylindert'also'has a gear 6m meshing with gear 411:. on .cylinder "4; and cylinder 1 has a gear 1m meshing with gear 6m on cylinder 6. The cylinders '6 and 1 'are thus driven by, and at the same peripheral speed of, cylinder 4. 'As'stated, I utilize the weight of cylinders 6 and I to assist the impression pressure of cylinder-4 on the-bed. The cylinders 6 and 1 rise and fall and rotate with'cylinder 4 during taking of impressions, and are stationary when cylinder 4 is stopped. The cylinders 6 and I in the unit A of the press shown in' Fig. 1 may be provided with web cutting dies, such as arecommonly used, and sever the web into sheets before they are delivered to a tucker folder (not shown) which may be mounted onthe unit at the outer side of the cylinders.

The units A-and"B are operated in unison.

the shaft lb, to the feed roll 28; then itjpasses down under a verticallymovable take up roller 8a guided in slots in the side frames of the press. From roller Ba the web passes up to and over a guide 812, back to a guide 80, then down under cylinder 1 in unit A of the press and up over said cylinder; then back to and over a guide 8d adjacent cylinder 4 in unit B of the press; then between said cylinder and its bed I and up to and between the cylinders, 6 and l of unit B; and thence back over an adjustable register roll 8e (above roller 8b) and thence to and between the delivery and cutting cylinders 6 and l of the unit A. To assist the delivery of the web by said cylinders a set of outfeed tapes 6t may be pro.- videdrunning over rollers (in, cooperating with cylinder 6 to deliver the printedweb. The cylindlers 6 and 1 of section A deliver the web, severed if desired, to a folder (not shown).

If desired the boxes of the cylinders 4, 6, 1 might be placed within a frame 30, see Fig. 10, which is slidably fitted in the guides 2| and can rise andfall to facilitate the movement of the cylinders during the taking of impressions. The frames carrying the out feed belt 6t and rollers Eu might also be mounted upon this frame 30, as indicated in Fig. 10. And if desired the frame 80 carrying the web deflectors shown in Fig. 6 could be pivoted at its outer end, as at BI and have its inner end supported on frame 3|] as indicated in Fig. 10. Thus everything above the bed would move in harmony with the cylinders. I do not however consider such frame and such connections essential features of the invention. H

The web is fed to and through the printing mechanisms at a speed corresponding to the linear movement of the rocking bed during the printing, and remains quiescent between guides 8b and the delivery after the printing and during the return non-printing stroke of the bed.

' During the aforesaid passage of the web through the press it is first printed in unit A, and then perfected in unit B. The forms or printing surfaces on the be may be inked by any suitable inking mechanism. If the press is used for printing newspapers form inking rollers may be arranged at each side of the impression cylinder as indicated at 9 in Fig. 1 and may be supplied with ink in any desired way. I may use two ink fountains to each unit, in which case it would not be necessary present invention. It can readily be supplied to overtravel to ink the forms; and this would very much increase the speed of the press. (The length of the sheet cut is slightly less than the full circumference of the impression cylinder).

V with the form rollers in distributing and supplying ink to the form rollers.

The form rollers may ride on the bed bearers and rise and fall with'the bed (as it rocks) to supply ink to the forms and take ink from supply. The inking mechanism however does not form part of the by the ordinary press manufacturer; and needs no further illustration or description.

The size of paper printed will depend upon the diameter and length of the impression cylinders. For newspaper presses the cylinders could be four pages long; and with such cylinders the press shown in Fig. 1 could print a 16-page paper. Presses of any desired capacity can be produced by properly proportioning the size and length of the impression cylinders in the units and varying the number of units employed.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a press, using but one unit. The major parts thereof are constructed as above described, and parts similar to those in unit A are similarly lettered. This press provides a cheaper press for the small daily and weekly field, and one that could sell for much less than is asked for the ordinary flat bed web presses. The press shown in Fig. 6 is 4 pages wide, and 2 pages are printed on one side of the press and then the web is deflected to the other side of the press and again led between the bed and cylinder to be perfected.

A 4 and 8 page press can be made by this design by simply enlarging the diameter of the cylinders and making the bed stroke a little longer. In this way we can have a 4 and 8 page press with one inking system.

In this press a narrow Web is used and a web turning device which may comprise a set of angle bars 8n, 8o, 8p is provided as shown in Fig. 7, and the web after being printed on one side by cylinder 4 and the bed is led to and turned over an angle bar 8n by which it is deflected at right angles and then led to and over bar 80 at the opposite side of press, and turned back and led to and over an angle bar 8;: by which the web is again deflected at right angles and directed toward the cylinders, and the web is then passed a second time between the cylinder 4 and bed to be perfected, as indicated in Fig. 7. If it is desired to print the web in multi-color it could after first impression be passed over angle bars to deflect it to one side, and then led again between the impression cylinder and bed; and be delivered by cylinders 6 and 1. When printing in multi-color the ink fountain would be divided so different colored inks can be placed in opposite ends thereof.

The bed could be provided with a curved rack which meshes with gears on the inking supply rollers to operate same. Such rack if used with the fiat bed would be arranged at one end of the bed and clear the end of the impression cylinder. :1

To lessen strains on the driving gear during reversals of the bed I may provide counterbalance weights II that can be fastened to shaft lb and depend below such shaft as indicated in Fig. 6. If press is large these counterbalance weights would require a pit so that they can swing oppositely to the movement of the bed, and counterbalance the bed and counteract its momentum during the reversal periods.

The rising and falling cylinder and the rocking or vibrating bed are important features, and are of especial value where the stroke of the bed does not exceed the length of the sheet out.

If the press is to print from quarto type forms on the bed as shown in Fig. 9 I preferably use two ink fountains for each unit. One fountain inks forms F; the other inks forms F. With this arrangement the bed makes the shortest possible stroke (the bed travel being then equal to thesheet cut length). If the press is to print newspaper pages or forms with the pages laid the other way I can use one ink system, but the bed stroke would then have to be long enough to ensure supply of the fulllength forms with ink.

While the fiat bed is particularly useful when the forms are composed of individual type or type bars, the bed could be curved on an are as is shown in Fig. 8, and I do not consider the invention in its broader aspects limited to a flat bed, nor to rising and falling impression cylinder, nor to the specific construction shown.

By my invention I can build a press with very few parts and avoid machine work or skilled labor wherever possible. There is but one continuous rotating shaft in the press, which greatly reduces the cost'for gears and lathe work. There isvery' little planer work required and no experienced fitting necessary. The weight of the cylinders take the impression and the amount of cast iron used is less than half the weight of any other press that will do the same work.

I claim:

1. In a printing press, a rocking type bed, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder cooperating with said bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and means for throwing on impression during the printing stroke of the bed, and for throwing off impression during the return stroke thereof.

2. In a printing press, a rocking type bed, an impression cylinder cooperating with said bed, and cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinder and assisting in holding it in printing contact with the forms on the bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in eleva- 35 tion of the bed, saidimp-ression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

, 3. In a printing press, a rocking type bed, an impression cylinder cooperating with said bed, delivery cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinder and assisting in holding it in printing contact with the forms on the bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed; and means for throwing on impression, during the printing stroke of the bed, and for throwing off impression during the return stroke thereof, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

4. In a web printing press a pair of rocking type beds, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder for-and cooperating with each type bed, means for maintaining impression pressure between the cylinders and beds during the printing strokes of the beds in accordance with the variation in the elevation of the beds, means for feeding a web, and guides for directing the web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected.

5. In a web printing press a pair of rocking type beds, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed, means for maintaining impression pressure between the cyiinders and beds during the printing strokes of the beds in accordance with the variation in the elevation of the beds, means for feeding a web, guides for directing the web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected, and means for throwing on impression during the printing strokes of the beds, and for throwing off impression during the return strokes of the beds.

6. In a web printing press a pair of rocking typebeds, an impression cylinder for and coopcrating with each type bed, means for feeding a web, guides for directing a web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected, and cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinders and assisting in keeping the impression cylinder in printing contact with the forms on the beds during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

7. In a web printing press a pair of rocking type beds, an impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed, means for feeding a web, guides for directing a web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected, cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinders and assisting in keeping the impression cylinder in printing contact with the forms on the beds during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and means for throwing on impression during the printing strokes of the beds, and for throwing off impression during the return strokes of the beds, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

8. In a printing press, a rocking fiat surfaced type bed, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder cooperating with said bed, and adapted to maintain impression contact with flat print- .ing surfaces on the bed during the printing strokes thereof in accordance with the variations in elevation of the bed; means for throwing on impression during the printing strokes of the bed, and for throwing off impression during the return strokes thereof.

9. In a printing press, a rocking flat surfaced type bed, an impression cylinder cooperating with said bed and adapted to maintain impression contact with the fiat printing surfaces on the bed during the printing strokes thereof; and cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinder and assisting in holding the cylinder in printing contact with the forms on bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed on bed, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

10. In a printing press, a rocking flat surfaced type bed, an impression cylinder cooperating with said bed and adapted to maintain impression contact with flat printing surfaces on the bed during the printing strokes thereof, delivery cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinder and assisting in holding it in impression contact with the forms on bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed; means for throwing on impression during the printing strokes of the bed, and for throwing off impression during the return strokes thereof, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

11. In a web printing press a pair of rocking fiat surfaced type beds, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed and adapted to maintain impression contact therewith during the printing strokes of the beds by raising and lowering in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, means for feeding a web, and guides for directing the web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected.

12. In a web printing press a pair of rocking flat surfaced type beds, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed, and maintaining contact impression contact therewith during the printing strokes of the beds by raising and lowering in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, means for throwing on impression during the printing strokes of the bed, and for throwing off impression during the return strokes thereof, means for feeding a web, and guides for directing a web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected.

13. In a web printing press a pair of rocking flat surfaced type beds, an impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed and adapted to maintain impression contact therewith durin the printing strokes of the beds by raising and lowering in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinders and assisting in holding the cylinders in printing contact with the forms on beds, means for feeding a web, and guides for directing the web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

14. In a web printing press a pair of rocking fiat surfaced type beds, an impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed and adapted to maintain impression contact therewith during the printing strokes of the beds by raising and lowering in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinders and assisting in holding them in printing contact with the forms on bed, means for feeding a web, guides for directing the web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected, and means for throwing on impression during the printing strokes of the bed and for throwing off impression during the return strokes of the beds, said impression cylinder and cooperating cylinders being freely vertically movable.

15. In a printing press a type bed, an impression cylinder cooperating with the bed, a feed cylinder above the impression cylinder and cooperating by gravity with said impression cylinder to give impression pressure by weight of the cylinders, said impression cylinder and feed cylinders being freely vertically movable.

16. In a printing press, a rocking type bed, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder cooperating with said bed, and freely vertically movable cylinders cooperating with the impression cylinder and assisting in holding it in printing contact with forms on the bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and a slidable frame in which the boxes of said cylinders are mounted.

17. In a printing press, a rocking type bed, an impression cylinder cooperating with said bed, means for throwing on impression during the printing stroke of the bed and for throwing off impression during the return stroke thereof, a gear on the cylinder adapted to mesh with a rack on the bed, and means for ensuring register of the cylinder gear with the bed rack when the impression cylinder is thrown on impression.

18. In a printing press, a rocking type bed, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder cooperating with said bed, and adapted to rise and fall to maintain impression contact with forms on the bed during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and means for directing an arrow web twice between the cylinder and bed.

19. In a printing press, a rocking fiat type bed, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder cooperating with the bed, means for throwing and holding the impression on during the printing stroke of the bed and in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and for throwing and holding the-impression oif during the return stroke of the bed.

20. In a printing press, a printing couple comprising a flat type bed, means for rocking the bed, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder cooperating with the bed; and means for holding the couple in printing contact during the printing stroke of the bed and in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and means for keeping the bed and cylinder out of contact during the return stroke of the bed.

21. In a printing press, a printing couple comprising a rocking flat surfaced type bed and an impression cylinder cooperating with the bed; means to maintain impression contact between the bed and cylinder during the printing stroke of the bed by raising and lowering one member of the couple during the printing stroke in ac-. cordance with the variation in elevation of the bed, and means for keeping the members of the couple out of printing contact during the return stroke of the bed.

22. In a printing press; a pair of flat type beds, means for rocking the beds, a freely vertically movable impression cylinder for and cooperating with :each type bed, means for maintaining impression pressure between the cylinders and beds during the printing strokes of the beds in accordance with the variation in elevation of the beds, and means for holding the impression off during the return stroke of the beds.

23. In a web printing press; a pair of flat type beds, means for rocking the beds, a freely Vertically movable impression cylinder for and cooperating with each type bed, means for maintaining impression pressure between the cylinders and beds during the printing strokes of the beds in accordance with the variation in elevation of the beds, means for directing a web successively between the beds and cylinders to be perfected,

and means for throwing off impression during the return strokes of the beds.

24. In a web printing press; a pair of printing couples each comprising a rocking flat surfaced type bed, and an impression cylinder for and cooperating with the bed; and means to maintain impression contact between the cylinders and bed during the printing strokes of the beds by raising and lowering one member of each couple during the printing stroke in accordance with the variation in elevation of the bed; and guides for directing a web successively between the beds and cylinders tobe perfected.

PAUL F. COX. 

